Modern multimedia computers and mobile phones are capable of providing web and WAP (Wireless access protocol) browsing with the mobile devices.
Mobile marketing is considered by advertisers as the next new channel to reach direct to the recipient by utilizing the core assets and characteristics of the mobile media: it being personal, “always on”, mobile, and naturally forming groups of people who communicate actively with each other. These characteristics combined with social networks—based approaches of the Internet could form a very powerful base to execute marketing strategies.
In general, mobile marketing and advertising can be divided into the following four categories:                a) Mobile Marketing: The systematic planning, implementing and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products where the primary point of contact with the recipient is via their mobile device.        b) Mobile Advertising: The paid, public, non-personal announcement of a persuasive message by an identified sponsor; the non-personal presentation or promotion by a firm of its products to its existing and potential customers where such communication is delivered to a mobile phone or other mobile device. Examples of mobile advertising would include: WAP Banner ads, mobile search advertising, mobile video bumpers, interstitial ads in on device portals.        c) Mobile Direct Marketing: Sales and promotion technique in which the promotional materials are delivered individually to potential customers via the potential customer's mobile phone or other mobile device. Examples of mobile direct marketing include the sending of SMS, MMS or WAP push messages, Bluetooth messaging and other interrupt based marketing to mobile phones or other mobile devices.        d) Mobile customer relation management (CRM): Combination of all the above in a manner that establishes a long-term, engaging relationship between the customer and the promoting company.        
In a mobile marketing, like in all mobile communication, there is cost related to communication (SMS, MMS, voice call, data connection, etc.) from and to the recipient. Typically data connection cost in a mobile domain is invoiced from the recipient based on the volume of the data transferred wirelessly to the mobile terminal. There are data plans existing where the invoicing is based on a time of connection, or the data connection can be an unlimited (“all you can eat”) package for a given price, or a limited package of e.g. 100 Mbyte/month for given price. There may also be data plans for parties who provide services through a mobile communications network.
Billing and accounting of the data usage is typically carried out in operators billing systems. The options are a prepaid billing where the recipient has paid in advanced, and a post paid billing where the recipient pays according to invoice sent to the recipient typically in a periodic (monthly) manner.
One prior art approach to use specific numbers, such as service numbers with the prefix “0800”, to provide toll a free calling. For example, call made to a company's “0800” number are forwarded to the company with charging the calling party.
WO0143416 discloses a host-sponsored data transmission billing system and method for mobile users. An internet gateway is provided to establish wireless connection between a mobile user and the internet. The internet gateway generates billing data for payment by the mobile user for connection requests by the mobile user through the internet gateway to private sites on the internet. On the other hand, the internet gateway also generates billing data for payment by host-sponsors for connection requests by the mobile user to host-sponsored sites on the internet. In other words, some or all of the data traffic billing that is incurred in accessing a host-sponsored site is incurred by the host that operates the site in question.